Search

CIFA managing director Davide Cipolla said the Zoomlion-owned firm has “not reached the limit” of what it can offer customers, thanks to a significant investment in research and development. Cipolla, who is also research and development director of the Zoomlion Group's concrete division, commented on a €2million-a-year R&D investment for CIFA and some Zoomlion products over the last five years saying, “This is the first stage of [product] development.” At bauma 2013, CIFA is introducing an innovative hybrid

CNH is aiming to build new production facilities in India and Brazil for its New Holland Construction and Case Construction Equipment brands. Mario Gasparri, head of the CNH Construction Equipment business for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, said the ambitious moves were based on how CNH sees the evolution of the construction equipment market.

Volvo Construction Equipment president Pat Olney has unveiled the low-emissions technology used in the company’s forthcoming Stage IV/Tier 4 Final-compliant machines. He also detailed the progress of investments in Europe and other international markets and announced the extensive development pipeline that will see a radically updated product range launched over the next two years.

JCB has introduced two new soil compactors; the VM117D and the VM137D with operating weights of 11tonnes and 12.2tonnes respectively. The single-drum vibratory compactors can be used for a wide range of work in infrastructure and housing projects and have a smooth drum as standard with pad foot drums as an option. They are powered by JCB’s 93kW Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim Ecomax engines, which meet the emissions target without using a DPF and are said to deliver fuel savings of 16%. Changes to the compaction

Ammann Group, a leading manufacturer of asphalt mixing plants, compacting machines and asphalt pavers, and India-based construction equipment supplier Apollo Construction Equipment, have announced a joint venture for the Indian market. The announcement was made at a bauma press conference jointly hosted by Ammann CEO Hans-Christian Schneider and Anil Patel, chairman of Apollo Construction Equipment and vice chairman of the joint venture Ammann Apollo India Private Ltd. With three manufacturing facilities, a

JCB has announced the best results in its 67-year history with earnings reaching a new record. While turnover for 2012 remained virtually unchanged at £2.7 billion, profit rose by £10m to £365m on an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) basis.

The Indian government is to invest US$916.06 million (INR 50bn) in phases to convert 10,000kms of state roads in Andhra Pradesh to National Highways. According to the country’s Minister of State for Transport and Highways, Sarvey Sathyanarayana, the conversion works will be completed within the next three to five years. In the last fiscal year of 2012/2013, six stretches of state highways in Andhra Pradesh were converted to National Highways, covering a distance of more than 1,800km.

A report from market analysis specialist Timetric has highlighted increased demand for machines in the Asia-Pacific region. This report shows that the Asia-Pacific region has overtaken Europe and North America in demand for heavy construction machinery and earthmoving equipment. The 57.8% market share of the Asia-Pacific market for these machines makes it the largest in the world, followed by Europe with 22.0% and North America with 12.4%, according to the report. Economic uncertainty in Europe and slow gro

A joint venture between India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and UAE-based Delma Engineering (Delma) has reportedly emerged as the best bidder for a US$273.71 million (INR 15bn) road project in the Emirates. Indian daily newspaper The Economic Times says the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport-led project involves widening the Mafraq to Al Ghweifat highway. It will be built over a period of 30 months. The joint venture also bids for another two road projects in Abu Dhabi, according to The Economic Times.

A series of dynamic meetings in Marrakech signal the forward direction of IRF Geneva as it gears up for a bright new era as a global voice of the road sector. As these pages go to press, IRF Geneva is just emerging from a very rewarding regional conference focusing on North Africa and the Mediterranean that took place from 19-20 March, 2013. The success of this high-level gathering, organised in association with the Moroccan Road Association and Moroccan Motorways (Autoroutes du Maroc), reflects IRF Geneva’

A comment often heard at the recent World of Asphalt/World of Aggregates event in San Antonio, Texas was how the US construction market is recovering. The catchphrase for the global construction industry in 2013 seems to be ‘cautious optimism’. The growth rate may be modest and business activity is certainly a long way from the peaks of 2007 and 2008, but the improving conditions can only be good news for the construction sector. In Europe the situation is less clear. The Nordic nations are all in a fairly

The Liebherr Group achieved its highest turnover in its history in 2012. Turnover climbed over than 9% to €9.1 billion, while the company invested a total of €840 million in its operations. The 2012 business year progressed well for the Liebherr Group. Although the reduced dynamism of the world economy had a noticeable effect on orders received in the final months of the year, this no longer influenced turnover significantly. The Group increased its total turnover in the past business year by more than €760

India's Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved four road projects worth a combined US$850.75 million (INR 46.20bn) in Assam and Madhya Pradesh. The projects involve the widening of stretches of National Highways 37 (NH 37) under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for India’s North Eastern Region (SARDP-NE).

Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to loan the Indian government US$252 million for key road construction projects. The 25-year loan has a grace period of five years, a commitment charge of 0.15% per annum, and the interest rate will be determined on ADB’s LIBOR-based lending facility. The loan will be used to finance the construction of 3,461km of all-weather rural roads in West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Assam with the first phase scheduled to complete in Decem

Ammann and Gujarat Apollo Industries Ltd (GAIL) have signed binding agreements which will see Ammann Group pay just under US$59 million to acquire a 70% share in the Indian company’s plant and machine business. GAIL’s core products include road pavers, asphalt mixing plants, bitumen sprayers and compaction machines. The joint venture is seen by the Ammann Group as underscoring its global growth strategy while heralding its entry into the Indian road building equipment market, tipped for strong growth thank

Despite challenging times, the second bC India construction equipment show proved a success Mumbai, India’s most populous city and the fourth most populous in the world, has again delivered a successful bC India. The bauma/ConExpo international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles, was held at the Bandra Kurla Complex, and impressively strengthened its position in the Indian market despite the challenging situation in the industry. Duri

The huge bauma 2013 construction equipment exhibition due in April of this year will be the biggest ever at the site in Munich, Germany. This event will pack even more exhibitors onto the city’s former airport site, with a record number of visitors also expected. Some 3,256 exhibitors are booked for the show, which will be the 30th bauma construction machinery event and will cover a record 555,000m2. Major technical innovations will be highlighted and with the Stage IV/Tier 4 Final emissions regulations due

Moriaki Kadoya, president and chief executive of Hitachi Construction Machinery Europe (HCME), says Hitachi Construction Machinery needs to place “greater emphasis” on establishing local production facilities as it bids to strengthen its market position.

A subsidiary of the Hitachi Group, Hitachi Construction Machinery currently has 33 production sites worldwide – with 16, including its flagship production site near Tokyo, in Japan.

In the Indian state of Bihar, investment is underway to improve the infrastructure links with neighbouring Nepal. Some US$109 million is being invested in the plan. The new road links will boost transport connections between Nepal and India and provide an economic boost in terms of trade between the two nations.

Kiratpur Ner Chowk Expressway has given IL&FS Engineering Services (IL&FS) a letter of intent (LoI) for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract in India worth US$263.9 million (INR 14.36bn). Under the deal, IL&FS will undertake a scope of work including minor bridges, five tunnels, 18 major bridges, toll plazas, 67.3km of road work and related infrastructure. The expressway project includes the EPC contract as well as expanding the Kiratpur Ner Chowk section of the National Highway 21 in